Battlefield 2042 issues dealt a blow to the game’s community

“The launch of Battlefield 2042 was not as expected,” Coutaz admitted. “Our players and community were disappointed, but so was our development team. We have focused on the health of the game, and so bug after bug, patch after patch, we are fixing and improving it.” She added that disappointing veteran players who’ve been with the Battlefield franchise for two decades has been especially hard on the developers.

You’ll be forgiven for thinking that DICE hasn’t worked on anything other than Battlefield for ages. It has churned out Battlefield games for 20 out its 30 years of existence. But these releases were punctuated by others including Star Wars Battlefront and Mirror’s Edge games. Unfortunately, the former was plagued by issues of its own, like notorious monetization, and the latter never really took off despite garnering a cult following. But what about something new? It looks like that’s off the table as well.

“We are only focusing on Battlefield 2042,” Coutaz said. “There is no time for anything else and this is what we want to do. In three years, we want to be the first-person shooter powerhouse that DICE deserves to be, and that is what we’re going for.”

In other news, Sony has finally acknowledged that PS Plus classics are plagued by performance issues in some regions, and the new PS Plus trailer is chock-full of Easter Eggs.

The post DICE Has No Plans for Anything Other Than Battlefield appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

In his email, Mesmar wrote that he was made an offer elsewhere that he “couldn’t refuse.” However, he wanted to wait until Battlefield 2042‘s launch, and his new employer was “kind enough” to accommodate his request. Mesmar also revealed that he had been discussing his succession plans with DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson for some time, but chose to delay the announcement of his departure in order to keep the team’s focus on Battlefield 2042‘s launch.

The email reads:

It was an absolute pleasure to serve on the best design teams in the galaxy. The incredible design work that you do continues to inspire me every day. Thank you for putting some faith in me, I hope I didn’t disappoint. 

I have been made an offer I couldn’t refuse at another company that has been kind enough to wait for me until we have shipped [Battlefield 2042]. It was super important to me to be here with the team as we achieve this historical milestone.

While Oskar and myself have been discussing my succession plans for some time – and it will be announced in due course – we opted to delay this communication till after launch to keep the focus – rightfully so – on the game we’ve been putting a monumental amount of effort on.

Mesmar joined DICE in 2019, and worked on Star Wars Battlefront II and Battlefield V prior to Battlefield 2042.

[Source: VGC]

The post The Head of Design of Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront Franchises Is Leaving DICE appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Not to be confused with the cancelled Battlefront 3 in the original Battlefront series, Battlefront III would have been a sequel of sorts to 2017’s Battlefront II, which was mired in controversy due to microtransactions.

“It got turned down because it takes 20 percent more sales to make the same money,” one former developer told Henderson. That said, EA is currently working on two Star Wars titles, both of which are reportedly story-driven, single-player focused experiences.

“Several key developers that worked on the Battlefront series have since left the DICE studio in the past year, including the likes of Battlefront II’s creative director Dennis Bränvall, core gameplay designer Christian Johannesé, and lead hero designer Guillaume Mroz,” Henderson added. “It would indicate a Battlefront III is very unlikely. I have seen the build file for DICE’s next title in October, currently just dubbed ‘Dev-Next,’ which indicates that the title has passed Gate 0, which is its conceptual stage. This stage usually takes a few months of time.”

Henderson clarified that it’s standard procedure to pitch concepts while a game is already in development, so whatever ‘Dev-Next’ is, it didn’t take any development resources away from Battlefield 2042.

“It should also be said that development can change at any given time and the next title has started development, but if Battlefront III ever gets greenlit and starts development for whatever reason, I’ll break the news,” Henderson concluded.

[Source: Twitter]

The post EA Reportedly Turned Down DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront III Pitch Due to Licensing Costs appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The formation of Lucasfilm Games was announced earlier this week, a banner and licensor for Star Wars games. Speculation that EA would be losing Star Wars exclusivity was correct, with an open-world Star Wars game revealed to be coming from Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment. However, the wider licensing of Star Wars to other publishers and developers doesn’t mean that EA is done with Star Wars. We’ll keep getting EA Star Wars games even as more companies get the opportunity to show what they can do with the license.

In fact, not only will EA continue to develop Star Wars games, Lucasfilm Games already has some projects in the works with the publisher.

“We’re really proud of the games we have created with EA,” Douglas Reilly, VP of Lucasfilm Games says. “We will continue working with them and our relationship has never been stronger. While we may not have a lot of details to share at the moment, we’ve got a number of projects underway with the talented teams at EA.”

At least one of these projects is undoubtedly the rumored follow up to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In fact, EA confirmed last year that it was the start of a new franchise. Lucasfilm Games is also expected to be looking at the successes of Battlefront and Squadrons to see what more EA can do with those areas of expertise.

Lucasfilm Games’ goal is to amplify and connect Star Wars games to a broader canon Star Wars universe, leveraging the talents of unique publishers and developers. “We try and help them leverage their passion, expertise, and idea by bringing our expertise around the IP, our ability to connect with other parts of Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company, to amplify that. To make it even bigger than they might imagine,” Reilly says. “We want to uncover the stories they’ve always imagined telling and make them resonate with our fans, and across the wider Star Wars galaxy.”

EA also reaffirmed their commitment to Star Wars games and an ongoing partnership with Lucasfilm Games in a tweet.

We love Star Wars.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with Lucasfilm Games.
We’re making more Star Wars games.
BD-1 is still the cutest.

— Electronic Arts (@EA) January 13, 2021

Lucasfilm Games also announced an Indiana Jones games coming from Bethesda’s MachineGames. They’ve promised additional announcements and surprises in the future as well.

“This is really the culmination of years of preparing to come out and say, ‘We’re here, we’ve got a team of people, we’re going to make a lot of great games, and here’s some new things you weren’t expecting from us to do that we’re now starting to do,’” says Reilly. “And that’s going to continue throughout the next year or so, where we’re going to continue to announce projects that are more representative of the legacy of the old Lucasfilm Games that we’re now trying to live up to.”

The post EA Will Continue to Develop Star Wars Games as the Franchise License Expands appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

“I still remember when we first got the Star Wars contract and the entire studio meeting was filled with goose bumps and tears of joy,” Brännvall wrote in a tweet. “Eight years later the journey is over and I’m moving on from EA DICE at the end of this month. Thank you all. May the Force be with you, always.”

Brännvall joined DICE in 2012 and worked as an associate level designer on Battlefield 4. In 2014, he moved on to Star Wars Battlefront, for which he was a lead level designer. He served as design director on Battlefront II, eventually becoming creative director at DICE in December 2019.

The Battlefront II community last heard from Brännvall in April this year, when he announced that the title’s development was complete, bringing an end to a tumultuous period for DICE that started with Battlefront II‘s infamous launch.

“Developing characters, worlds, and experiences set in this amazing galaxy that is Star Wars is an honor, and it has continued to be a remarkable, challenging, and ultimately rewarding journey for the entire team,” wrote Brännvall. “Knowing that we have a passionate community of millions of players and Star Wars fans – just like ourselves – along on the ride, is the greatest inspiration we could ever have.”

Brännvall didn’t say why he’s leaving DICE and where he’s off to next, but we wish him the best of luck in his endeavors.

[Source: Dennis Brännvall via VG247]

The post Star Wars Battlefront II Design Director Is Leaving DICE After 8 Years of Service appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Star Wars Battlefront II and Call of Duty: WWII are your PS Plus games for June. Full details on this month’s lineup: https://t.co/pBXcZWFpnC pic.twitter.com/pj36qR99cB

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 28, 2020

The announcement made on the official PlayStation Blog details both game’s features and their inclusion in this month’s offerings. Both Star Wars Battlefront II and Call of Duty: WWII has received an enormous amount of content since their respective launches. In regards to Battlefront II, EA and DICE have made more than 25 free updates to the multiplayer game since its initial release, and this addition to PS Plus should give it a surge of new players.

The inclusion of both these games feels like a shot across the bows of anyone that’s complained about the quality of free, monthly games as of late. While catering to very different audiences of shooter and multiplayer fans, both Star Wars Battlefront 2 and WWII are substantial, triple-A offerings that make up for the cost of PS Plus based on their own price tags alone.

Both games drop at different times, with Star Wars Battlefront 2 coming on June 2 and Call of Duty: WWII already available. This is also your last chance to grab Cities: Skylines – PlayStation 4 Edition and Farming Simulator 2019 from last month’s offerings before they both vanish from the free game pool. Be sure and do that before vaulting off to a galaxy far, far away, or the shores of Normandy. Sorry anybody hoping for Spider-Man. Turns out that was indeed just a common PS Store glitch, not a harbinger of things to come.

The post Rumors Confirmed: Star Wars Battlefront II Joins Call of Duty: WWII as a June 2020 PS Plus Free Game appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Apparently, PlayStation Gaming on YouTube was able to snag the video before the PlayStation Instagram account deleted the brief clip. In said clip, which lasts only six seconds, Call of Duty WWII appears for just a couple of seconds. Afterwards, Star Wars Battlefront II footage takes center stage for a very short period time. Seriously, it’s a ‘blink and you miss it’ kind of glimpse. The video then ends with an advert for this year’s Days of Play, which kicks off on June 3rd in North America.

See the supposed Instagram ad featured in the video below, courtesy of PlayStation Gaming’s YouTube channel:

As is always the case, this should be taken with a grain of salt until Sony itself offers a confirmation. With June only a handful of days away—and PS Plus games getting revealed the Wednesday preceding the first Tuesday of the month—such information should roll out relatively soon.

The reported Instagram ad seemed to have been promoting Days of Play just as much as June PS Plus offerings. Sony’s annual Days of Play promotion typically runs through June, featuring a host of deals on hardware, games, and accessories. This year is no different. The promotion will last from June 3rd-17th in North America. In regions such as Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, the sales are already under way. Across each region, PlayStation gamers can get deals on Days Gone, PS Plus memberships, Nioh 2, and a few hardware selections.

[Source: PlayStation Gaming on YouTube via VG247]

The post Reportedly Removed Ad Suggests Star Wars Battlefront II May Be June’s Other PS Plus Freebie appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The update is meant as a transition into a lack of updates and whatever the future may hold—aka, the slow wait until servers eventually go dark and/or a follow-up comes out, especially as this console generation starts to sunset.  The post continued, saying “Looking beyond April, we’re transitioning to a phase where the servers, in-game challenges, recurring events such as Double XP and more, and game support will carry this broad and rich Star Wars gaming experience into the future. This means that we’re moving away from delivering regular content updates. As the game lives on with the players and our community, we’re looking forward to hearing your stories for years to come.”

No word in the post on what the team’s future plans for the IP may hold, especially as the Star Wars brand transitions into a new, unexplored territory. The team left one final message for fans in the post. “We hope that Star Wars Battlefront II and the upcoming The Battle on Scarif Update will inspire you to keep playing and sharing. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished and continue to accomplish, together. May the Force Be with You.”

The Star Wars Battlefront II Battle on Scarif content update is out today for free.

The post Star Wars Battlefront II Is ‘Now Complete,’ Final Content Update Battle for Scarif Out Today appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The report comes from Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, who cites six anonymous sources familiar with the Battlefront spinoff project and its cancelation. Viking was intended to be a “smaller” project following Orca’s cancelation, launching fall 2020 to coincide with next-gen consoles. It was said to fill a financial hole in that window. It was going to feature open-world elements and spinoff of the Battlefront franchise in some way. EA planned to lean on Criterion to help out with Viking’s development.

Also Read: How The Mandalorian Used a Video Game Engine to Render Digital Locations in Real-Time

EA Vancouver was the studio doing initial prototyping and brainstorming, but the addition of Criterion—based in London—became a development issue. Criterion was supposed to be given the role of lead developer, and Kotaku’s sources say it became an issue of “too many cooks” as developers from EA Vancouver and Criterion tried development across different countries in completely different time zones. It was said that Criterion’s vision for the game put story and characters first.

In the first half of 2019, it was obvious to the studio that the game wouldn’t be finished in time to meet its fall 2020 window, and instead of extending the project, EA executives opted to scrap it altogether. Reportedly, EA’s fall 2020 “financial hole” is not being filled now that Viking is no longer taking that slot.

It was recently announced that Criterion got back behind the wheel of the Need for Speed series, and EA Vancouver is reportedly supporting BioWare and Respawn on Anthem 2.0 and Apex Legends respectively.

This cancelation was all behind the scenes and well before the release and success for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order had come to light. EA reportedly still has two Star Wars games in development; another one with Respawn (expected to be a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel) and “a smaller, more unusual project at EA Motive.”

[Source: Kotaku]

The post Report: EA Canceled a Star Wars Battlefront Spinoff Game in 2019 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

This doesn’t mean we’re celebrating the end of Star Wars Battlefront II though; plenty more content is on the way. The newest update is titled The Rise of Skywalker, after the upcoming Star Wars movie of the same name. Most of the update will drop on December 17th, which sees several new playable classes for the First Order and Resistance army added to the game. The First Order will be getting the Sith Trooper and Jet Trooper, while the Resistance will add the Spy and Gunner. There aren’t many details on how these four new units play yet, but apparently both the Spy and Gunner will be alien races. Additionally, Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren will all get new Rise of the Skywalker-themed skins.

The second part of the update drops on December 20th, likely to avoid movie spoilers. A new planet will be added to the game, with players able to play matches on the currently unnamed jungle-themed world featured in the film’s trailers. At that time, all of the sequel trilogy maps will also be added to the game’s co-op mode.

Beyond that, there’s even more planned for Battlefront II. Once that update is done, the developers are planning to continue to focus on the sequel trilogy for a little longer. Promised some time in January, two more heroes will be joining the game: astromech droid BB-8 and its evil counterpart BB-9E. There are no details on how these droids will actually join combat, considering they’re rather small and seemingly unarmed, but expect additional details within the coming weeks. There are also plans to bring sequel trilogy content to the popular Captial Supremacy game mode, with players boarding Resistance or First Order ships.

It probably isn’t a surprise that there’s a big update planned in conjunction with the movie. More content was added for both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo‘s launch. In the time between movies, DICE has mostly been focusing on the prequel trilogy, adding more heroes and locations featured in those films.

Now that we got BB-8 out of the way, can we talk about adding Baby Yoda?

The post Star Wars Battlefront II Getting Celebration Edition, Playable BB-8 and BB-9E appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.